Local media and women’s right to confer nationality

In its issue of  10 August, Al Akhbar newspaper highlighted the negative role played by some media in addressing issues related to rights, notably women’s rights to confer nationality to their family. Al Akhbar pointed out to a recent TV show entitled “fi-male” broadcasted on LBCI and which hosted Joseph Abi Fadel, a media person known for his bigotry and sexism notably vis-à-vis women’s right to confer nationality.  Abi Fadel was given ample space to express his distorted a bigoted differentiating between women married to Syrians and Palestinians and women married to other foreigners.  The TV show host dealt with the matter very lightly and joined her guests in adhering to his views noting that these are merely controversial.  Al Akhbar indicated that there were no other opinions aired in the show thus showing that the TV show was complicit in the discriminatory views aired by the guest.  Al Akhbar asked the coordinator of My Nationality is a Right for me and my Family Campaign, Karima Chebbo, about her opinion.  Chebbo noted that mainstream media is often denying the space to women and human rights defenders and are thus amplifying the voices of individuals who are against human and women rights.  As such, Chebbo sees that social media is an efficient alternative to communicate the message about rights and to mobilize the support of public opinion.  Chebbo praised the immediate impact of social media and its wide outreach and the fact that it allows interaction and engagement especially when it broadcast testimonials and human interest stories related to the denial of the rights of women to transfer nationality. (For more about the article in Arabic please visit: https://bit.ly/2z4mnMQ). (Al Akhbar, 10 August 2019)